Alkaloids from and their anti-proliferative activity against A549 cells by regulating the EGFR/AKT/mTOR pathway.

is frequently used as a traditional Chinese medicine and food supplement. Our previous study revealed that its constituent compounds were able to inhibit cancer cell proliferation. In our continuous exploration of bioactive compounds in , we isolated ten alkaloids (-), including one new natural compound (), and nine known alkaloids (), from an ethanolic extract of the whole plant. The chemical structures were elucidated based on a combination of comprehensive NMR and HRESIMS analyses. Compounds and exhibited significant antiproliferative effects against A549 cancer cell lines. We further elucidated the underlying molecular mechanisms of the antiproliferative activity of compound in A549 human lung cancer cells. Compound was found to induce cell cycle arrest in the G0/G1 phase p53 activation and CDK4/6 suppression. Compound also effectively inhibited cell migration through the modulation of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), as indicated by the expression of biomarkers, such as N-cadherin downregulation and E-cadherin upregulation. Compound significantly suppressed the activation of the EGFR/AKT/mTOR signalling pathway in A549 cells. These results indicate that alkaloid from has potential to be a lead antiproliferative compound in cancer cells.